1. Field of the Invention
In general, the present invention relates to noisemakers that operate by having air blown into the noisemaker. More particularly, the present invention relates to the structure of such noisemakers and assemblies where such noisemakers are encased in a housing.
2. Prior Art Description
The prior art is replete with novelty devices that are designed to make noise. Once class of such novelty devices is the noisemaker with a vibrating membrane. A kazoo is an obvious example of a noisemaker that uses a vibrating membrane. In a kazoo, air is directed past a flat membrane. The passing air causes the membrane to vibrate and the membrane to create noise. Noisemakers with vibrating membranes typically make pleasant low frequency sounds that are not shrill to the human ear.
A problem associated with many prior art noisemakers that contain vibrating membranes is that the volume of the noise that can be created is limited. If a person blows into a prior art noisemaker too hard, the rush of air tends to displace the membrane and prevent the membrane from vibrating at all. Consequently, if a person blows too hard into the noisemaker, instead of making a louder noise, the noisemaker fails to make noise at all.
If it is desired to make very loud noises, noisemakers with vibrating membranes are typically not used. Rather, noisemakers such as whistles are used that produce noise without a membrane. The problem associated with whistles and similar devices is that the frequency of the noise is high and the sound of the noise tends to be shrill and painful to the ears, especially when at a high volume. Accordingly, whistles are good for use by referees and lifeguards that need to be quickly heard in a loud environment. However, no one would want to sit next to a person in a stadium who was blowing a whistle just to cheer and make noise.
During sporting events, many fans cheer and make noise. Many fans bring noisemakers to help them cheer. Noisemakers with vibrating membranes are typically not used they produce noise that is too soft. Whistles are not commonly used because the whistle is too shrill and offends surrounding fans. Furthermore, whistles are often prohibited because they confuse the players who my think the whistle sound came from an official.
Noisemakers have been invented that utilize vibrating membranes. Such noisemakers are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,116 to Gyorgy, entitled Horn For Sports fans, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,064 to Gyorgy, entitled High Acoustic Output Horn. A problem associated with such noisemakers is one of manufacturing cost. In such prior art noisemakers, two separate tube must be concentrically assembled. The membrane must then be attached to the concentric tube assembly with a separate collar. As such, the noisemaker has many parts and requires a large amount of hand assembly during manufacture. This makes such prior art noisemakers expensive and poorly suited for sport event give-aways and promotions.
A need exists for a noisemaker that is specifically designed to meet the needs of a cheering fan, wherein the noisemaker makes a noise that is very loud, but has a low frequency that is not shrill and painful to surrounding fans. A need also exists for such a noisemaker that is very inexpensive so that it can be given away or sold cheaply at large sporting events. Lastly, a need exists for such a noisemaker that is small and simple to operate so that a fan can use the noisemaker while seated in a stadium.
These needs are met by the present invention as described and claimed below.